1. Field of Invention
A multiple component wrench is adapted for use to attach and disconnect fire hose and hydrant coupling using this singular tool in lieu of several tools currently used by firefighters. The wrench has a sliding portion and a receiver portion presented as one tool, yet allowing multiple wrenches adapted for use on Storz and spanner hose couplings, rocker lug couplings, water meter shutoff valves, gas cock valves, pentagonal nuts and square nuts, and includes a multiple ratchet mechanism with multiple removable ratchets adapted to a variety of different nuts encountered on the multiple hydrants installed in various municipalities. The wrench is also extendable to provide additional leverage during use, the wrench further capable of separation forming two independent wrenches.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to wrenches and tools adapted to be used with hydrants and firefighting equipment and hoses. U.S. Pat. No. D263,674 to Ebert, discloses a combination hydrant spanner and a lug wrench for use on a fire hydrant. Numerous other combination wrenches adapted to firefighting use also were disclosed in several utility patents listed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,754 to Brown is a tool which has a pipe wrench on one end and a spanner wrench on the other end. It does not have a rachet means, an adjusting length handle and is not adapted to any other hose and hydrant fittings. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,124 to Perkins, a fire hydrant wrench is disclosed which does include an adjustable length handle, but it does not contain any devices used for hose couplings. It also discloses a chatter-thread arrangement that permits the handle to be pushed, rather than manually threaded, into engagement with the fire hydrant fixture.
Another fireman's tool assembly, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,853 to Menke, having a spike member slidably engaged with a wrench member used as a slide hammer to drive the spike, the wrench member having a universal adjustable wrench fitting to open and close hydrant valves, the spike member and wrench member also having three hose coupling jaws, or a spanner extension adapted to hose couplings, the spike member and wrench member being separable so that the spanner extensions may be used independently, such spanner extensions or “jaws” provided in three different sizes, but not of the sane size, to fit a variety of hose couplings. A universal ratcheting fire hydrant wrench is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,576 to Keith. Other combination fire hydrant wrenches are also found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,715 to Nishiguchi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,019 to Daghe, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,763,353 to Heller.
In U.S. Pat. No. 489,107 to Storz, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,444 to Kozey, a hose coupling is disclosed, which has been named by those skilled in the art as a “Storz” coupling, and has given rise to wrenches which are referenced in the art as a Storz wrench. See attached advertising literature from on-line catalogues at www.fireguip.com/wrenches.htm, and www.chiefsupply.com.
None of the disclosed prior art patents disclose a single adjustable length tool which includes a Storz wrench and a spanner wrench on each opposing end of the tool, with a sliding member having a shaft with a water main cutoff and an opposing first tool end having a commercial gas valve slot and a ratchet mechanism including a spring engaging pawl and a plurality of replaceable ratchet cylinders, each cylinder having a different fitting cut-out portion, and a receiver member having a slide channel and a second end including a universally adjustable compression wrench, the shaft of the sliding member slidably engaged within the slide channel of the receiver member and retained by a shaft locking means which allows the tool to be used in a closed position, an extended position or a complete separation of the sliding member and receiver member for use a two separate tools required to couple or uncouple hose fittings.